


Gloria Regali

by ZeAwesomeBirdie



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Gen, Mild Angst, Songfic, pregame, song: Gloria Regali, the princess fails again and again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28290363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeAwesomeBirdie/pseuds/ZeAwesomeBirdie
Summary: Gloria regali.  Forever may you reign.  Despite her failures as a princess, Zelda continues to fight for Hyrule, for Link, and for those who have died because she could not awaken the Power of the Goddess.
Kudos: 2





	Gloria Regali

**Author's Note:**

> This was completely prompted by IdioticCanadian, without whom I'd have never listened to this album. Happy birthday and happy holidays, mate!  
> The song used is Gloria Regali by Tommee Profitt and Fleurie. Go listen to it, it's awesome.

_ Peace be with you _

The entirety of Hyrule expected her to awaken the Power of the Goddess, and if she failed it would be the death of them all. And while Zelda was painfully aware of this, she still felt no stir of the Triforce from within her. Yet the Knight Who Would Seal the Darkness had been found, and the Champions to pilot the Divine Beasts were all poised at the ready for her command, and she knew it would be a matter of time before the end of the world came to them all.

_ Soul divine _

Prior to the awakening of the Master Sword, she could easily pretend Link was just a particularly skilled knight. She knew of his family, that his father was of the Royal Guard and exceptional at the blade. But once he pulled the sword in her protection, there was little left for her to do besides feel guilt at the neverending power emanating from all of those around her while she remained powerless.

Powerless, with the exception of her research, which, she liked to believe, could hold a sense of power in and of itself.

_ Wake again _

And Zelda could remember the immense power her mother wielded, even without fully awakening her abilities. Why could Zelda herself not awaken the Power of the Goddess, when it was entirely necessary for the safety of all those she loved, the safety of the kingdom that would one day be hers, and the safety of all the world? Her mother had always been so calm and collected, and she could still remember the last time her father had smiled, days before her mother had passed. But that would matter little, when the world would end in a matter of days...

_ In paradise _

Urbosa would always say that the past does not define our future, and that the late Queen would be incredibly proud of Zelda for being the person she is now. While the princess wanted with all her heart to believe her, she still felt her lack of power was holding back their abilities to save Hyrule. Link could wield the power of the Master Sword, and she was still a failed princess.

At least Impa allowed her to play to her strengths with how often she accompanied Zelda to the Royal Lab in Hateno. And she did get along very well with the resident geniuses, Robbie and Purah.

_ Crowned in glory _

The sheikah slate was still unresponsive, entirely preventing them from understanding the shrines around the Kingdom. Zelda, despite her neverending frustration with her powers, still felt that the slate would someday prove useful, even if they couldn’t find it’s use at this time. There had been a feeling of almost dejá vu as she went through the slate the last few days, though she could hardly tell if it was a feeling for the past or the future.

_ Fear no more _

And then she still had to plan her journey to the Spring of Wisdom, at her father’s request. The upcoming ritual at the Spring hung over her head, a cloud of fury and wrath for her unseen powers and the currently unknowns of the future. Link never said anything against her, but still she could hear the whispers of the townsfolk already calling her the Failure of Hyrule, and wondered who else would say such vile things.

_ Winter’s misery _

Their journey up to Mount Lanayru was entirely uneventful. The Champions remained at the Lanayru Promenade, promising to wait for her with hopeful smiles. Zelda could hardly shake the feeling of letting everyone down, but managed to do so as she began the prayers. The water froze her feet and legs, and still she stood before the Goddess Statue, asking for Wisdom with which to defeat the Calamity.

And how could she defeat the Calamity when she could not hear the Goddess but Link could hear the Master Sword?

_ Or the coming war _

Ice had started to form around her legs when Link reached out a hand to her. Zelda took it, stepping out of the freezing water, and sighed. It was time to leave as the sun began to descend, and it was no use trying any longer. All three Springs were a failure; all three resulted in absolutely nothing at all. So she returned her sandals to her feet, and went through the deep snow down the mountain.

The cold in the air was nearly refreshing, but also cut through her with the bite of a knife.

_ Gloria regali _

At the Lanayru Promenade, she could already see the disappointment on the Champions’ faces. She could imagine the annoyance that Link felt, likely frustrated with the failure she had become.

When the earth beneath them began to shake, she nearly fell, and Link steadied her easily. Malice shot overhead, seeking out sources of energy, all from Hyrule Castle, now surrounded by a thick fog. The sky darkened, nearing on black with not a star, and Zelda cried for the Goddess.

_ Peace and understanding _

There was little she could recall later, but she remembered running. Running through the forests of Hyrule, heading straight as they could toward Fort Hateno, though why, she could not recall. The screeching of metal limbs raced after them, getting ever closer regardless of how fast they ran, but Link did not stop, not until Zelda had tripped and collapsed.

She had failed now, and they would all die.

_ Forever may you reign _

But the next thing she could recall was a guardian rising up above them on the Black Cherry Plains, while Link struggled under the weight of the Master Sword. For a moment, Zelda wondered how they would ever survive, then as the guardian blasted its laser she jumped in front of Link, raising her hand instinctively, and from her poured the light of the Goddess.

_ Gloria regali _

And the guardians froze in place, Link collapsing behind her. The Master Sword spoke, though she could not understand what it had said, and Zelda realized she had managed to awaken the Power of the Goddess.

While the time of those she loved had now run dry, she could save the rest of her Kingdom with the new power flowing through her.

The Sheikah who arrived minutes later took Link to the Shrine of Resurrection, where hopefully Purah could save his life. Then Zelda headed north, to the Korok Forest.

_ Peace and understanding _

There was little left now, just place the Master Sword in the pedestal and hold back Ganon. Somehow, this felt as familiar to the princess as the rituals and ceremonies she had been doing for the last year. Zelda felt the rush of power through her veins with every beat of her heart. There was entirely something familiar about this, though she knew not what it was.

_ Forever may you reign _

The Great Deku Tree bid her welcome despite her failures, and for that she was grateful. The Master Sword would now rest until Link could return, assuming he survived the Shrine of Resurrection, though he may not. Zelda tried to voice her promises, that Hyrule would not fall, that the Power of the Goddess was now hers, that Link would return.

But her voice faltered, and instead she headed to the castle.

_ Forever may you reign _

The neverending night held no stars, and still she ran. Her mind was calm; there was little left to do now. And the Calamity Ganon she faced now could be weakened for when Link awoke again, she was entirely positive. Some of the light began to return with each step she took, but never fully took hold.

_ Gloria regali _

And the light she sent up to face Ganon enveloped her, protecting her from its Malice as it rushed to meet her. Then she was Nothing, for how can one be physical when the world is naught? Zelda heard the Goddess then, singing as a bird yet deep as the ocean. She tried to call out to the deity, to pray for help, and received none but the strength of herself.

So alone, she faced the Blight of Malice surrounding her.

_ Peace and understanding _

Years passed in the span of moments, but each moment was an entire lifetime in this suspended Realm of Nothing. Zelda wondered briefly, back when it began, if Link had been saved, only to immediately know that yes indeed, her knight was safe. She could hear the end of his life creeping away from his lungs, and steeled herself for the long fight ahead. Then, a century later by the reckoning of the Sheikah, she heard Link stir.

_ Forever may you reign _

_ Forever may you reign _


End file.
